A Cromwell's Tale
by ixcheldiaz
Summary: The Charmed One's have a new cousin who comes to live with them after her mother dies. Follow her in getting her powers, trusting people and learning about love. I own nothing except the plot, and the story has been re-posted and corrected, so please R&R!
1. Receiving the News

_A Cromwell's Tale_

Chapter One:

_Receiving the News._

Her life shattered. Her mouth hung open in shock. The news that she had just received seemed to hang in the air. '_I am so sorry to be the one to tell you this, Miss Martinez, but your mother was in a accident. She, she didn't make it.'_ The officer had said, then turned on his heel and walked back to his squad car. He cast one last remorseful look at her before getting in the car and speeding off. Gabriela closed the door and leaned against it. Her legs couldn't seem to hold her weight much longer, so she slid down the door until she was in a sitting position. The news seemed to finally sink in and she could feel her eyes start to water. As tears streamed down her face, she looked back over all the memories that she had with her mother, the good and the bad, as well as the happy and the sad.

The more that she thought about her mother, the more she cried. And the more she cried, the more she thought about her mother. The last thought that ran through Gabriela's mind before everything faded to black was, '_I didn't even get to say goodbye.' _

* * *

Gabriela woke-up in a position much more comfortable than the one that she fell asleep in. Her muscles ached with every move that she made. Gabriela looked around and all the memories from the previous night came rushing back to her at once, making her head throb. When the pain stopped, she noticed that she wasn't in her house anymore. The ocean blue and onyx grey walls had been replaced by ugly and plain white ones. The bed that she was lying in was much more comfortable than the position that she had fallen asleep in last night, but it was still uncomfortable. Gabriela looked towards the door as she heard it creak open. A nurse came in looking surprised to see Gabriela up in bed.

"Oh! You're up!" The nurse said. "How are you feeling?"

Gabriela raised a hand to her head. "Like someone knocked me out with a sledge hammer. What happened?"

A sad look crossed the nurse's face before she asked Gabriela, "Sweetie, what do you remember, exactly?"

Gabriela rubbed her head as though trying to stimulate her brain to find an answer to the nurse's question.

"Um," She started, "I remember watching TV on the couch when the door bell rang. When I opened the door, there was a young police officer standing on the front porch. I asked him if I was in trouble for some reason and then he told me that my mom…, that my mom had been in an accident, and that she didn't make it." At this point, a lone tear escaped her eye and the elderly nurse felt a tug at her heart for this young girl. She'd already lost her father at the age of three, and now, at 17 she's lost her mother.

"Well," The elder nurse started, "You fainted. Lucky for you, your neighbor saw you through the window and called 9-1-1. You were brought here and have been out for most of the night."

Gabriela couldn't believe it. Her mother was actually gone. She was now an orphan.

"Where am I going to stay?" She asked. "I have no family left!"

The nurse looked at her sympathetically. Then her face brightened visibly.

"I know where you can go! I remember the doctor mentioning your father's sister who lives in San Francisco! If you want, I can try contacting her for you. I believe her name is Patricia. Yes, that's it! Patricia Halliwell."

Without waiting for an answer, the nurse scurried off, leaving Gabriela to her thoughts.

"Dad has a sister?" She muttered to herself.

* * *

San Francisco, California

_Halliwell Residence_

_Ring, Ring. _Came the shrill ringing of the telephone. _Ring, Ring. Ring, Ring._

"Don't everybody rush to get it!" Twenty-one year old Phoebe Halliwell exclaimed as she reached the phone.

"Hello, Halliwell residence, this is Phoebe speaking." She answered the phone.

"_Hello, miss Halliwell. This is Dr. Roberts from Miami General Hospital calling. May I please speak to Patricia Halliwell? It's rather urgent." _Came the voice on the other end.

"I'm sorry, but my mom has been dead for eighteen years in June." Phoebe said trying to keep the quiver from her voice. "But, you could tell me I guess."

"_Alright. I am so very sorry for your lose. Did you know that your mother had a brother?" _Dr. Roberts asked her.

Phoebe was in shock. '_Mom has a brother?' _She thought.

"No, I had no idea." She said. Then something occurred to her. "Wait, what do you mean had?"

"_He died about fifteen years ago. The reason I am asking you this is because his wife just died, leaving his seventeen year old daughter an orphan. You and your family are the only living family that she has left, and she has nowhere else to go, so I was wondering if you and your family would be willing to take her in." _Dr. Roberts asked.

"Well, I would love to take her in," Phoebe started, "But I would have to talk to my two older sisters first. Is there any way I could contact you when we have made a decision?"

After the doctor had left her a number on which to reach him, she called Prue, her eldest sister.

"Prue," Phoebe said as soon as her sister answered. "Call Piper and link the call. You will never believe the news that I have to tell you."

* * *

Miami General Hospital

_Miami, Florida_

A lawyer was sitting in a chair next to the foot of her bed, reading her mother's will.

"Your mother has left you everything to do with what you please. There is something that she wishes you to keep with you. Apparently it has been passed down from generation to generation in your mother's side of the family." He said while handing her a book. Gabriela looked at the book as she grasped it in her hands. '_The Book of Cromwell Tales.'_ The title read.

Gabriela flipped through the pages. Each page contained words and illustrations of battles with all kinds of creatures. Both human and non human. And each story or tales were written in different handwritings. The stories each sported the name of, who Gabriela assumed was, the author. Underneath the name was the date of when it was written. _1819. _That was when the last story was dated to be written.

_That was over 188 years ago. _Gabriela thought. _I wonder what happened so that the stories stopped being written._

* * *

San Francisco, California

_Halliwell Residence_

"_What is the ever so important news that couldn't wait till tonight?" _24-year old Piper Halliwell asked, from Quake, the restaurant that she managed.

"Mom had a brother." Phoebe informed her sisters.

"_What?!"_ Came the reply of her sisters.

"_But, I thought that mom was an only child." _Piper said, clearly confused.

"That's what I thought, too," Phoebe said, "But apparently we were wrong."

"_What does mom having a brother have to do with anything?" _Twenty-seven year old Prue Halliwell, asked.

"I was wondering when one of you was going to ask that. He died about fifteen years ago. I got a call from a doctor at Miami General Hospital, telling me that his wife just died about twelve hours ago, leaving their seventeen year old daughter an orphan. He was wondering if, even though we have never met her, we could take her in, seeing as though she has no other living relatives. I said that I had to talk to you guys first. But, I can't help feel sorry for the poor girl, I mean when we lost mom, we had grams, and each other, but she has no-one." Phoebe rambled.

"_Pheebs! Chill!" _Prue said. "_I think that we should take her in, but… well, I don't know. I mean, what if she doesn't know about magick, and she stumbles upon the '__**Book of Shadows' **__on accident?" _She said, referring to the sacred book that was passed down from generation to generation of Warren witches throughout the years, upon starting with the beginning of their family line, Melinda Warren.

"_I agree," _Piper started. "_But, if she doesn't have anywhere else to go to, and if we are her family, well, then…" _She trailed off.

"I think that we should talk to Raven first and stuff. We don't want to make her anymore uncomfortable than she already is. You know how skittish she can be when meeting new people." Phoebe reminded her sisters.

"_Speaking about me?"_ Came a voice from the top of the stairs. Phoebe looked up to see Raven gracefully coming down the stairs. Her name really fit her well. Her jet black hair was like the plumage of a raven bird. Her green eyes were sharp like those of her namesake's too.

"Speak of the devil." Phoebe muttered into the phone. "Why don't you guys come home so that we can all talk to her together."

"_We are on our way." _Piper said as she and Prue both hung up.

"Hey, Raven, Piper and Prue are on their way home. We have to talk to you about something important. Would you like some tea or something while we wait?" Phoebe asked.

"Coffee would be good, please." Raven said. As Phoebe walked into the kitchen to make the tea and coffee, Raven look around the conservatory while remembering the first time she meet the Halliwell sisters.

* * *

_Fifteen year old Raven sat in the room with all the other kids at the orphanage, just watching them play with the few toys that were scattered over the room. She felt saddened at the fact that these didn't have any parents or any family that they could be with instead of being here. She felt someone sit down next to her, but instead of shying away like she normally would have, she shifted her body to face her companion. It was the new volunteer, Phoebe Halliwell. _

"_Hi, I'm Phoebe." Phoebe introduced herself._

"_I'm Raven." The two soon started talking and getting to know more about each other. Before they knew it, three hours had passed and Prue and Piper had walked over to them. _

"_Hey, Pheebs, we're here to pick you up. Who's your friend?" Piper had asked._

"_Hey guys, this is Raven. Raven, these are my older sisters, Prue and Piper." _Ever since that day, nothing had ever been the same again.

* * *

Raven was shaken out of her day-dream as the front door slammed.

"_Phoebe?" _Piper's voice called out.

"In the conservatory," Phoebe replied. Raven hadn't even noticed that she had come back from the kitchen. Prue and Piper walked in and noticed Raven sitting there.

"Oh, hey Rave." Prue said. "Have you told her yet?" The last part was directed to Phoebe.

"No, I decided to wait 'till you guys got home." She replied.

"Tell me what?" Raven asked, confused. The sisters drew in a breath as they began to tell the story.

* * *

After Phoebe had finished with her story, Raven just sat there thinking.

"Of course, you are still more than welcome to stay here with us. That is, if you want to." Piper said.

"I would like that," Raven said, "Since I have no where else to go."

"Then I will go call the doctor right now." Phoebe said, reaching for the phone, and taking the call into the other room. When she got off she said, "Okay, so we are picking Gabriela up Friday at 9:30 at the main entrance of the airport.

* * *

San Francisco International Airport

Gabriela tried to maneuver her way through the crowed that was filling out of the plane that she just exited and made her way to the baggage claim area. Today was Thursday. One day after we was released from the hospital. Two days since her mother's death. _Don't think about that, Briella. Stay strong. _She thought. Gabriela looked around the area for a sign with her name on it. Finding none, she sighed.

_Might as well call a cab to take me there. _She thought. After finally managing to get a cab, she got into the back seat and gave the cab driver the address that the doctor had given her earlier. She leaned back and tried to get comfortable. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

About ten minutes later, Gabriela felt herself being shaken awake. She sat up with a jolt, and then she remembered where she was. She got out and paid the taxi driver. Gabriela got her luggage up the first small flight of stairs leading to the house. At the top, she stopped and admired the beautiful Victorian house in front of her. _This is my new home._ She thought sadly.

"_Looks like you're a bit hesitant to go up to the door." _Came a voice from her right.

Startled, Gabriela quickly spun around to face the person who the silky-smooth voice belonged to, but her foot got caught in the hem of her other pant leg tacking her down like a ton of bricks.

She expected her body to hit the ground at any second, but instead she felt two strong muscled arms encircle her waist, keeping her from meeting the ground. Gabriela looked up and her chocolate brown eyes met a pair of cobalt blue eyes that seemed to be as deep as the deepest end of the ocean.

"Thanks." Gabriela mumbled, still staring into the newcomer's eyes.

"No problem. I'm Blaize Reeves." The boy with the amazing blue eyes introduced himself.

"I'm Gabriela Martinez." Gabriela introduced herself. She looked a bit awkward when she realized that Blaize was still holding her. "Um… Not that I'm not grateful that you kept me from introducing myself to the ground in then not so grateful of ways, but, could you let me up?" She asked with a smile on her face.

Blaize chuckled as he helped her back onto her feet. "So, Gabriela Martinez. May I inquire as to why you looked so hesitant to you up to the door?" He asked.

"Well, Blaize Reeves, you see, my mom was in a car accident and she didn't pull through. My dad died when I was almost three and the only living relatives that I have left are the Halliwell's, who are my cousins on my dad's side. I can't believe that I just told that to a complete stranger! Real smooth Gabriel." Gabriela smacked herself on the forehead.

"Whoa, there!" Blaize halted her hand before it reached her head again. "I am really sorry about your parents." His blue eyes sincere. "And I may be a stranger, but I am a trustworthy stranger. Just ask the sisters."

Gabriela cocked her head to the side in confusion and curiosity. "The sisters?"

"The Halliwell sisters." Blaize explained. "I have been living next door to them for about nine months now."

Gabriela nodded. "Well, I should probably go up." She said while tilting her head towards the door.

"Yeah, I can hear my mom calling me." Blaize said. With that he turned around and walked back towards his house. When he reached the door, he turned around. "By the way, welcome to San Francisco, Brie." Then he went inside.

_Brie._ Gabriela thought. _I like it. And I like him even more. _With that thought lingering in her head, she walked up the rest of the way to the door, and raised her hand to knock.

A.N.: I don't own Charmed or any of the characters that you recognize from the T.V. show, those belong to Constance M. Burge and the WB! The only things that I own are Gabriela, Karissa, Reese, Blaize, and other original characters. Raven is based off of my best friend, Tegan and Dysis are based off of two of my other best friends, and Xavier is based off of another friend.


	2. Meeting the Halliwell's

**A.N.: **First of all, I would like to thank Allenterril, who was the first person to review this story. Even though her review was a question, I am glad that someone reviewed, because this means that people are reading my story. Thank you very much, to everyone who has read, even though they have not written reviews. If I didn't put a disclaimer in the first chapter, here it is. I do not own anything except for the plot and any original characters. You are more than welcome to post this story somewhere else if you like, but please get my approval first. Once again, I don't own Charmed or any of the characters that you recognize from the T.V. show, those belong to Constance M. Burge and the WB! The only things that I own are Gabriela, Karissa, Reese, Blaize, and other original characters. Raven is based off of my best friend, Tegan and Dysis are based off of two of my other best friends, and Xavier is based off of another friend.

Chapter Two:

_Meeting the Halliwells_

Before Gabriela's hand could reach the gorgeous solid copper brass griffin knocker that stood proudly on the mahogany door, it swung open. A young woman who looked to be the age of twenty-four or -five, with mid back dark brown hair, and the same chocolate brown eyes that we mirrored in Gabriela's face stood in the door way. She looked surprised, as well as shocked to see an almost spitting image of herself standing opposite her. The young woman seemed to take in every resemblance between herself and Gabriela.

"Can…, Can I help you in some way?" The young woman asked.

"Um…, my name is Gabriela Martinez, my dad was, is, David Martinez and I was told by the Miami General Hospital that Patricia Halliwell is my aunt. I flew in from Miami and someone was supposed to pick me up at the airport, but no-one was there, so I took a cab, and now here I am, rambling."

Piper looked at the young woman in front of her. She took in her dark reddish-brownish, almost black, hair, an her tanned skin, and then finally her caramel-chocolate eyes. Gabriela Martinez. Why did that name sound so familiar? It wasn't until her mother's name came out of the girl's mouth that she realize who she was.

"Oh, my god! Gabriela!. I didn't think that you were coming until tomorrow. We, I, am so sorry. Please, come in." Piper ushered the girl inside. "Prue is in the kitchen, Phoebe is in her room….I think, and Raven is in the conservatory. Girls, get your butts into the conservatory now!"

"Raven?" Gabriela asked confused. "I thought that I only had three new cousins."

It took Piper a second to realize that the doctor probably didn't know about Raven. "Raven is an orphan that Phoebe met while volunteering at the city's orphanage. We felt that she had a potential for ma- uh, I mean, stuff and that she wouldn't be able to meet it at the orphanage, so we went to court for custody of her and she has been living with us for about eight months now."

By the time that Piper finished, they had walked into the conservatory. On one of the couches, sat a young woman, who looked to be around the same age as Gabriela, if anything, a few months younger. She had straight raven black hair, and sharp, attentive green eyes. The girl was drawing a picture of what seemed to be a human turning into a wolf under the surreal glow of the full moon. The fleeting thought of _Werewolf, _flew across Gabriela's mind.

"Raven?" Piper said, interrupting Gabriela's thoughts, "This is Gabriela, my new cousin from Miami. Gabriela, this is Raven, who I was telling you about a couple minutes ago."

Raven had a confused look on her face as she said, "But, I thought that she wasn't coming until tomorrow." After Piper explained the date mix-up, Raven said, "Well Gabriela, welcome to San Francisco. It's no Miami, but it is nice." At that second, two other women came in, who Gabriela guessed to be Phoebe and Prue.

"What is it Piper?" The brunette woman who had just entered, asked her sister. She had the same eyes as Piper, though her hair was a slightly lighter shade. The other woman had crystal blue eyes, and jet black hair that went just a little past her shoulders.

"Guys, I want you to meet Gabriela. Gabriela, these are my sisters, Phoebe and Prue." Piper said, pointing first to the brunette woman, then to the black haired one. "I know that we thought that she wasn't coming until tomorrow, but I think that the doctor gave us the wrong day by accident. And since Gabriela is already here, lets make her feel welcome. Phoebe, why don't you take Gabriela up to her room." Addressing Gabriela, she asked, "Would you like something to eat or something to drink?"

Gabriela started to object, but seeing as they were making an effort to make her feel welcome, she said, "Tea would be great. Thank you."

Piper smiled warmly at her, while Prue said, "Welcome to San Francisco, Gabriela."

Gabriela smiled back and followed Phoebe up two flight of stairs. When they reached the top, they turned left and walked up to a gorgeous mahogany door. As soon as Phoebe opened the door, Gabriela was met with several relaxing hues of ocean blues, and greens, that as soon as she walked into the room, she could feel all her trouble and stress start to disappear. On the far end of the room, right in front of Gabriela, stood a pair of French doors, leading out to a balcony. Gabriela walked over to the doors and opened them. As she stepped outside, she noticed a beautiful little garden just outside of a small patio with multiple lawn chairs spread out on it.

"I see you are admiring Piper's garden." Phoebe said, coming outside to join her. "Sorry if the room is too, well too anything. When we inherited the house, this room was already like this."

Gabriela looked at the garden for another second, before turning to face Phoebe. "No, it's perfect. My room in Miami was white a pink. My mom wouldn't let me paint it, but if she had, it would have been in these colors."

Phoebe smiled. "I'm glad you like it. This used to be mom's room." She pointed to a CD player on top of the chest-of-draws. "There is a CD with sounds of the ocean in there, and next to it there are some other Cds with other calming sounds. We didn't know what you would prefer, so…" She trailed off.

Before Phoebe had a chance to reply, Gabriela interrupted. "No! It's perfect. I love it." At those words, Phoebe seemed to glow. "But, I was wondering. Do you happen to know anything on a Blaize Reeves? I met him while I was trying to get the courage up to go knock on the door." Gabriela explained.

Phoebe nodded in understanding. "Blaize moved here with his parents about nine and a half, ten months ago, when his dad got a better job here that in New York. Even thought Blaize is a couple, okay, about three years younger than me, he's a cool person to hang out with. He's not like your average seventeen year old male." She said while laughing with Gabriela.

Once the laughter died down, Gabriela asked, "What do his parents do? I mean you said that his dad got a better job here."

Phoebe looked thoughtful for a second before replying. "His dad coaches Soccer at the local university, and his mom is the actress, Sarah Reeves."

Gabriela almost chocked on her own saliva. "You mean the Emmy award winning actress Sarah Reeves? Wow! She is amazing. He must have girls falling at his feet all the time, huh."

Before Phoebe could respond, the door opened and Piper entered the room, with a tray with steaming cups of herbal tea, and a plate full of chocolate chip peanut butter cookies.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything," Piper said, "I'm just bringing up some cups of herbal tea and a plate of chocolate chip peanut butter cookies." Piper said, setting the tray down on the bed.

"You found my weak spot." Gabriela said, eyeing the cookies.

"Piper makes the best cookies in San Francisco." To Piper she said, "And don't worry, you weren't interrupting anything. We were just talking about Blaize and his family."

Piper nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll let you two girls go at it." She said as she got up.

"Why don't you join us." Gabriela invited. "I mean, I would like to get to know my new found cousins, since I'm gonna be living with them."

"Sure, why not." Piper decided. She grabbed a cookie from the plate, and started munching on it. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

"Well, there's not much to tell. Back in Miami, I was on the girls soccer and volleyball teams, but my passions were always singing, acting, and dancing. For one semester I was a cheerleader. I love to read and I am fluent in three languages. English, obviously, Spanish, and Italian. If you ever let me loose in a mall, I will most likely blow all my money on shoes."

At this the sisters laughed. "You are just like Phoebe." Piper said. "Is there anything else that we should know about you?"

Gabriela thought for a second before replying. "Well, I'm a movie addict, and I'm a sucker for horror movies. I am totally guy crazy." Once again the sisters laughed. "It always seemed that when I was in Miami, strange things would happen around me."

This caught the sisters attention. "What kinds of weird things?" Phoebe asked, glancing at Piper.

"Well, when I was mad, it seemed that something would overheat or catch on fire, causing the sprinklers to go on. And it seemed that every time I was sad it would start to rain." Gabriela told the sisters. "I don't know what to think. Is this something that I should worry about, or am I going crazy? I'm sorry. I'm venting all of my problems to you guys."

The sisters exchanged looks. "It's okay." Phoebe said. "We don't mind, and we have been told that we are extremely good listeners." Piper nodded in agreement. Phoebe reached over and grasped Gabriela's hand to show he support. As soon as Phoebe's skin touched Gabriela's, she was sucked into a time that wasn't her own. _She could see Gabriela walking home from somewhere, when out of nowhere, a horned beast lunged out of the bushes just ahead of her. Gabriela's hands instinctively shot in the air, to cover her face from what ever was coming at it. As soon as her hands were in the air, the creature caught on fire and exploded. _As quickly as the premonition had come, it was gone. Phoebe opened her eyes to see Gabriela and Piper looking down at her with worry in theirs.

"Phoebe, are you okay?" Gabriela asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I must have spaced for a couple of seconds there." She got up from the bed, and got a head rush. "I'm feeling a bit light headed," She said, "I think I'm gonna go lie down for a while."

"I'll help you." Piper said while helping Phoebe out the door. Once the two sisters were out of earshot, Phoebe turned to look at Piper.

"I think there's more to Gabriela than what meets the eye."

"What did you see?" Piper asked her younger sister. Phoebe took a deep breath before she told Piper about her premonition.

"I don't think she knows that she has powers, though. I mean she looked as surprised as I felt." Phoebe told her.

Piper looked lost in thought for a second. "I think it's time we find out some more on Miss Gabriela Martinez."

The two sisters walked into the attic and straight to the podium that held their family's sacred heir loom, '_**The Book Of Shadows.'**_

Piper opened the massive volume and started flipping past all the pages containing information on demons and other supernatural creatures that the Charmed Ones had fought, and many others yet to come. Finally, she reached the page that she was looking for. The page that had the spell to summon a spirit. The two sisters looked at each other and started to recite the spell.

_Hear my words,_

_Hear my cry,_

_Spirit from the other side._

_Come to me, I summon thee,_

_Cross now the great divide._

When the sisters finished the spell, there was a glow in the center of the room. When the glow shimmered down Piper and Phoebe could see their grandmother standing in the middle of the room.

_"Hello, my darlings."_


	3. Expect the Unexpected

_**A.N.: **Thank you so much you guys for waiting. Here is the third chapter to A Cromwell's Tale and I will be updating the fourth chapter in a couple of minutes, thanks once more for waiting!! I don't own Charmed or any of the characters that you recognize from the T.V. show, those belong to Constance M. Burge and the WB! The only things that I own are Gabriela, Karissa, Reese, Blaize, and other original characters. Raven is based off of my best friend, Tegan and Dysis are based off of two of my other best friends, and Xavier is based off of another friend._

Chapter Three:

__

Expect the Unexpected.

"Hello, my darlings." Grams greeted her granddaughters. "To what do I owe this pleasant visit?"

The two Charmed Ones looked at each other. Did she really not know?

"Wait, you mean you don't know?" Seeing her grandmother's confused look, Phoebe continued. "About Gabriela, or her mother, or about our supposed uncle David?" At the mention of her son's name, Grams looked up sharply.

"What about David?" Did she really not know that her only son died almost fifteen years ago?

"Grams," Piper started, "When was the last time you heard from uncle David?"

Grams shook her head. "I haven't heard anything from him since her renounced his powers, but that was almost fifteen-sixteen years ago.

Piper looked at Phoebe. "Um, Grams? Are you aware of the fact that you have a granddaughter named Gabriela Martinez, who is staying with us?"

Grams shook her head in shock. "I don't understand. What do you mean? I have another granddaughter? Can I meet her?"

The sisters looked at each other. How do you tell someone that they can't meet their granddaughter, right after they told her she had one?

"Well, Grams. The thing is, we don't think that she knows that she has powers. Also, as far as we know, she doesn't know about out…extra-curricular…activities." Phoebe said.

Just as Grams was going to argue, they heard Gabriela calling from downstairs. The sisters looked panicked at the door, then back to Grams, who disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Piper and Phoebe then put the Book of Shadows in one of the many trunks that littered the attic. They walked down the stairs and into the conservatory, where Gabriela was, chatting away with Prue and Raven.

"Hey, where were you guys?" Prue asked, finally taking notice of them.

"We were upstairs, sorting through some of the junk in the attic." Phoebe covered for them. "Anyway, what are you guys talking about?"

"Well, we were trying to decided where to enroll Gabriela in, for her junior and senior year. We were talking about San Francisco High, were Raven goes, so that if she went there, she would know someone already, and we were also talking about…well, I don't know what other school we were talking about, 'cause we started talking about other stuff."

Phoebe nodded, while Piper said, "I think that's a good idea. Of course, the choice is totally yours, El." Gabriela nodded.

"I think it would be nice, and it would be nice to know someone ahead of time."

Piper smiled.

"Then it's settled, in the morning I'll call the school and enroll you." Prue said.

"Alright, well how 'bout some dinner? I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved." Piper said.

* * *

_Gabriela looked around, taking in all the tall green trees. Somewhere off to her left, she could hear the sound of trickling water. She started to approach the place where the water was coming from, when she heard the rustling of leaves._

_Turning around, she could make out the silhouettes of two figures. Running at full speed. Directly at her. She raised her hand to try to get their attention, but instead, she fell forward. Looking down at her feet, she realized that where her feet were supposed to be, she had paws._

_As she tried to process what she was seeing, a surreal glow shone down upon her. Looking a toward the sky, she noticed the full moon._

Crap….

_As the figures came closer to her, she caught the scent of blood, laced with fear. Whoever these people were, they were terrified. There were voices coming from behind them. Suddenly, a bright flickering light approached her. As the people got nearer to her, she could smell, and feel, their desperate thirst for revenge._

_Jumping into the path of the humans, she growled. When one of the men swung hit lit torch at her, she snapped at his wrist. This just angered the man more. As his hand came down toward her muzzle, she pounced._

_Landing on his chest, she used her momentum to knock him to the ground. Snapping her glistening canines close to his jugular, she growled a warning to the other hunters. Slowly, one by one, the hunters left the clearing, and when the last one was gone, she slowly got off the man, and he took off running._

* * *

Gabriela awoke with a start. Her body felt hot and slick with sweat. Her clothes clung to her like a second skin. Her mind was reeling while trying to remember what her dream was. Gabriela was growing frustrated when only snippets of it flashed through her mind.

The surreal glow, the fear, the yelling, the fire, and finally the blood. But other than that, her mind was completely blank.

With a groan, Gabriela got out of bed. The heavenly scent of coffee drifted up the stairs and to her nostrils. She descended the stairs with heavy feet, and her nose leading the way.

"Is that coffee I smell?" she asked, entering the kitchen. Piper smiled at the picture that the teenager in front of her presented. Gabriela was in a camisole singlet and a pair of silk pajama bottoms, both having a picture of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street and rubbing her eyes to get rid of the lingering sleep. In her right arm, there was a black teddy bear, that had obviously been through a lot and, well, Piper had to be honest with herself, looked kind of Emo.

"Yes," Piper said. "It's just plain coffee and we have sugar and French Vanilla creamer." Looking at the dark circles under the girl's eyes, Piper frowned. "Did you sleep well?"

"Actually, I kept having a weird recurring dream last night. I kept waking up, and every time I got back to sleep, the dream would start up again." Gabriela groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"What was your dream about?" Piper asked curiously, as Gabriela filled a cup with coffee and added the creamer.

"That's the thing that's been bugging me. I don't remember." She answered, taking a mouthful of the hot drink, and spitting it back out. "HOT! HOT! HOT!!" Gabriela yelled, fanning her mouth, and hopping from foot to foot. Turning around when she heard giggling coming from behind her, she came face to face with a very red-faced Phoebe, and an amused looking Blaize.

"Uhhhhhhh…" Was all that would come out of her mouth. Phoebe was the one to break the silence that followed.

"Well, that's certainly a new way to wake up." She said with a smirk planted firmly on her face.

"Blaize," Piper started. "What are you doing here? Not that it's not good to see you, but, we haven't seen you in a while."

"My parents and I were in L.A. to visit some family. I came over here because my mom is hosting a charity benefit in a couple of days, and dad was supposed to find a caterer, but he forgot and mom is bogged down with everything else, so she was hoping that maybe you wouldn't mind catering the benefit, Piper? That is, if you aren't to busy and all."

"Well, I think that I could get some time off from Quake, and I probably could get the owner to donate some stuff, even." She replied after thinking it over. Phoebe leaned in close to Gabriela.

"She's sleeping with the owner." She whispered. "OW!!" She yelled, turning around to glare at Piper, who was holding a dish towel, which she had obviously just snapped her with.

"Phoebe, how many times do I have to tell you, I am NOT in a relationship of any sort, with my boss." Piper said, putting emphasize on the word _not_.

"Also," Blaize interrupted, just as Phoebe opened her mouth, "Mom would like you guys, Prue, and Raven to come to the benefit. And Gabriela, mom would really like you to come, she wants to meet you."

"We'll be there." Piper promised.

* * *

The sun was shinning through her window, and onto her bed. Moaning, Gabriela rolled over onto her stomach, and covered her head with a pillow. Suddenly, her door shot open and banged on the wall.

"AAHHHHHHH!" Gabriela screamed as she fell out of her bed and landed on the floor with a thump.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Came a voice from on top of the bed. _Phoebe._

Groaning, Gabriela shifted herself into a sitting position. "And if I don't want to?" She challenged.

"Well, you don't have to… but, if you don't, you'll be late for your first day of school." Phoebe called in a sing-song voice as she waltzed back out the door, leaving Gabriela on the floor, groaning.

* * *

_Crap._ She thought as she wandered the halls of San Francisco High. _If only I had asked Raven to stay with me, but no, I just had to be independe_-

Her thoughts were cut-off as she crashed into a solid body.

"I am so sorry." Came a voice from above. Looking up, she saw a girl who looked to be about her age, with shoulder length brown hair, her bangs framing her ice blue eyes. The girl helped her up as she kept apologizing.

"No. it's okay. Really, I wasn't watching where I was going." Gabriela said.

The girl studied her for a second, before speaking once more. "You're new here, aren't you?" she asked. At Gabriela's look, she elaborated. "I'm the school president, and know a lot of people here. I don't remember ever seeing you here, so I assumed."

Gabriela laughed. "Yes, I just moved from Miami a couple days ago. I'm Gabriela Martinez."

"Karissa Harris." The other girl introduced herself. "Where are you heading, I'll walk you there?"

"Um… Homeroom with Mr. Carter in room 29."

"I have her too. I'll walk you there." Karissa said. The two girls walked down the hall, passing classrooms left and right. Finally, at the end of the hallway, stood a door with the number, Room 29. Opening the door, Karissa peaked in.

_"Why are you late to my class, Miss Harris?"_ Came a booming voice from inside.

"I was helping the news student find the classroom." Karissa said, as she and Gabriela walked into the room.

"Ah, Miss Ramirez. Please, introduce yourself to the class."

* * *

Walking into her bedroom, Gabriela sighed in relief. Her first day of school had been stressful, to say the least. Collapsing onto her bed, she sighed once more. The entire day at school, she had felt as though everyone was looking at her. _Which they probably were. _She reasoned to herself, remembering when she was still in Miami, how she would make fun of the new kids. Her mom had once told her, that even think that she is so much better than everyone else, really, she was just human, and she was her own person.

_I miss you, mom. _Gabriela thought to herself, as a lone tear ran down her cheek, and sleep enveloped her.

* * *

__

Wandering the dark streets, she lifted her nose and sniffed the air. Somewhere, she could smell the scent of fear, mixed with sweat. Looking around, there were tall buildings on either side of her, down all along the street. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, there was a flash of colors. Turning her head towards it, she saw a person running in the opposite direction. Instinct of the hunt took over, as her mind clouded, as she took off after the person. As she chased after the person at a leisurely pace, she threw head back, howling at the full moon. Once she was about five feet in back of the person, she took a running leap, jumping into the air, sailing over the head of the person, and landing in front of them. Sensing the person's fear, she growled. Suddenly, she lunged at the person, landing on top and sinking her sharp canines into the persons neck, tearing out the throat.


	4. The Day After

**_A.N.:_**_ I am so sorry for the long wait, you guys. But thank you so much for the people who have reviewed and as promised in the **A.N. **in the beginning of the third chapter, here is chapter four. I don't own Charmed or any of the characters that you recognize from the T.V. show, those belong to Constance M. Burge and the WB! The only things that I own are Gabriela, Karissa, Reese, Blaize, and other original characters. Raven is based off of my best friend, Tegan and Dysis are based off of two of my other best friends, and Xavier is based off of another friend._

Chapter Four:

__

The Day After

Walking up the steps to the front of the school, Gabriela was surprised to see police cars lining the street.

"What happened?" She asked Raven, as they walked together.

"I don't know." The girl responded, a look of confusion in her eyes. Seeing Karissa up ahead, Gabriela walked towards her, with Raven in tow.

"Hey, Karissa." Gabriela greeted the girl. Karissa turned to look at them, and nodded.

"Hey, Gabriela, Raven. How are you today?"

"We're good," Raven answered for them, "Do you know what happened here?"

Just as Karissa was about to answer, two police officers came over to them.

"Excuse me, but, we have to question everyone here, so will you two come with me, please." One of the told Gabriela and Raven. Following the officer, the girls shared a look of confusion.

"What happened, officer?" Raven asked politely.

"One of the students here was killed last night. More like mauled actually." He said with a grim face.

"That's horrible!" Gabriela exclaimed, while Raven gasped.

"Yes it is. We would like to ask you two a couple of questions, so will Miss Night please set into this room while I ask Miss Ramirez some questions." The officer said, indicating the room to their right. "I will be with you in a few minutes."

Walking into the room with the officer, Gabriela didn't know what to expect.

"Miss Ramirez, my name is Officer Trudeau. When was the last time you saw this young girl?" Officer Trudeau asked, showing her a picture of a female student who she recognized as Reese Miller, a girl in her Spanish class.

"Um... I think the last time I saw her, was yesterday after Spanish. She was talking with Karissa Harris and Gwen Anderson about something. I don't remember seeing her after."

"Where were you last night, around 10 and 12 pm?"

"I was at home. At first I was reading, and then I went to bed." Officer Trudeau asked her a couple more questions, before he let her go.

"Alright, that's it for now. If we have anymore questions, we will contact you, and if you remember anything, anything that you think might help, please, don't hesitate to call me."

Gabriela sighed, before taking the business card that was in his outstretched hand. "I will," she promised.

* * *

_"We're ready for you, Miss Night." _A voice broke through her thoughts, causing Raven to look up. Gabriela had just walked out of the room, where she was being questioned. Getting up, she followed the officer into the room.

"Miss Night, my name is Officer Trudeau, and I have a couple of questions for you."

_Trudeau, why does that name sound so familiar? _Raven wondered.

"When was the last time that you saw this student?" Officer Trudeau asked, handing her a picture of a girl with long blonde hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, officer. I don't recall seeing her recently. I actually don't recall knowing her name."

"Her name is Reese Miller, she is a senior this year, and she is in Advanced Spanish with Miss Ramirez."

_I think I heard Gabriela talking about Reese Miller once. _Raven thought to herself.

"I think that I saw her yesterday, talking with Karissa Harris, and another girl, who I don't know."

"Um… Where were you last night around 10 and 12 pm?" The officer asked.

"I was at home, doing some last minute cramming for a History test that I have tomorrow."

The officer sighed. "Well, that's it for now. Please if you remember anything at all, call me at this number. If we have any other questions, we will be in contact." he said, while offering her a business card.

"Thank you." Raven said, looking at the card, as she left the room. _Andrew Trudeau, Homicide Investigator. _It read.

_Andrew Trudeau, the name sounds so familiar. Oh, well, maybe one of the sisters will know. _Raven thought.

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to fly by, and drag on at the same time. Finally getting home, Gabriela and Raven sighed in relief. Walking over to the refrigerator, Raven pulled out two bottles of water, tossing one to Gabriela, who was sprawled on the couch.

"It's so hard to believe that someone from school was killed." Raven commented, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, it almost seems surreal." The two sat there in silence for a while. Suddenly, the front door opened, and Piper walked in, her arms full of groceries.

"Hello?" She asked. "I could use some help here!" The two girls got up and walked over to her. Taking three of the bags, Gabriela took them into the kitchen.

"Hey, Piper." Raven greeted her. "I thought that you would be back before we got back."

Piper sighed before answering. "I was over in China Town, and I lost track of time, and then when I left, I took a short cut, over by the high school, but the street was blocked off. There were police cars everywhere. Did something happen today?" Piper asked, concern in her voice.

"The police found a body in the alley, in the back of the school early this morning. She was a student at the high school, so they were questioning the students and staff." Gabriela answered.

"Oh, my god. That's horrible." Piper gasped. "Do they have any idea what happened?"

"Officer Trudeau told us that the police think that she was mauled by a wild animal, like a wild dog or something."

"Wow." Piper said. "Wait, Trudeau? As in Andrew Trudeau?"

* * *

"You guys. I think we have a bit of a problem." Piper told Phoebe and Prue after she asked them to come up to the attic.

"What is it, Piper. Spit it out already." Phoebe asked impatiently.

"There was a murder last night. The person was mauled and she apparently she went to school with Raven and Gabriela. I don't know if this is demonic or not, but I think we should look into it. There's something else."

"What, there's another demon after us? Again?" Prue asked sarcastically.

"No, worse." Piper sighed,

"What could be worse than another demon attack?" Phoebe asked, curiously.

"Andy's back in town." Piper said while looking at Prue in the eye.

* * *

"Wait, Andy, as in Andy Trudeau, my ex-boyfriend from High School, and college who left me after he found out about me being a witch? That Andy?!" Prue almost yelled.

Piper nodded weakly. "Did I mention that he is working on this case?" She added. Before Prue could say anything, Phoebe interrupted.

"Why don't we look in the **_Book of Shadows _**to see if there is anything about a monster that mauls people, at least to see if this thing really is demonic, or just a wild animal, like the police think." Flipping the pages of the **_Book of Shadows, _**Phoebe sighed. "What exactly are we looking for anyway?"

"Something that mauls it's victims?" Piper supplied.

Hours later, the Charmed Ones were still looking. "Maybe this isn't demonic." Prue suggested.

"Maybe Prue's right." Phoebe agreed. "Why don't we go to bed, and if something happens in the morning that seems a little more in our area of expertise, then we do some more research." the other two agreed and they all went to bed.

* * *

Andrew Trudeau sighed and dropped the file he was looking at on the desk in front of him. "Have you found anything Morris?" He asked his partner.

"No, nothing. All we know, is that she was out parting with her friends, and they decided to pull a couple of pranks at the school. Which is where we found the body. The last people to see her alive were Karissa Harris and Gwen Anderson. Why do I have the feeling that we're missing something?"

"Because maybe we are." Andy said, while looking at the picture of Prue Halliwell that was in the Halliwell folder that he had been looking at.


	5. After Dark, Everything Changes

_**A.N: Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while, but I would like to thank everyone who is still reading this story! Thanks for sticking with me this far! Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed my other stories. Also, sorry that this chapter is so short, but I hope that you like it anyway. So, here is chapter five... Enjoy! **_**I don't own Charmed or any of the characters that you recognize from the T.V. show, those belong to Constance M. Burge and the WB! The only things that I own are Gabriela, Karissa, Reese, Blaize, and other original characters. Raven is based off of my best friend, Tegan and Dysis are based off of two of my other best friends, and Xavier is based off of another friend.**

Chapter Five:

__

After Dark, Everything Changes

Karissa walked into her house and found her brother sitting in the middle of the living room, incense all around him, giving the air a thick musky scent. Creeping up behind him, she looked over his shoulder to see what book he was reading. The massive tome was bound in leather and had the words **_'History of Vampyrs and Lycans.' _**written across the front in gold writing.

"Boo."

Karissa jumped at the sound of her brother's voice. She had thought he was meditating.

"Lex. What are you doing?" she asked. "I thought you were meditating."

"I am doing my homework. Preparing myself so that I don't go up against the Charmed Ones unprotected. You should be studying too, instead of creating disasters in this town like in every other town that we have moved to. Stop playing this cat and mouse game with the police, soon you are going to get caught, and then you will expose us all.

* * *

Gabriela sat on her bed, staring at the book that her mother had left her. _'The Book of Cromwell Tales._'

_What is so important about this book? _she wondered. She opened the tome to the first page, where an inscription read: _To my darling daughter. May this help you find your way when you are at a crossroads. Love, Jaelle Dragomir, your mother. _The inscription was dated on July 25th 1320.

_This is when my ancestors must've first started writing this book. _Gabriela thought to herself. Flipping the pages, she came across one that was folded. Carefully unfolding the aged paged, so that it wouldn't crumble, she sucked in a deep breath. The book fell from her limp fingers as she continued to stare at the page in shock. Staring back at her, almost mocking her, was a picture of a wolf, but not just any wolf, it was the same wolf from her dreams. The page next to the picture had the words _Werewolves and Lycanthropy _written across the top. Suddenly, all of the images from her dreams came rushing back to her at once. The moon, the fire, the men, the fear, and last but not least, her ripping out the throat out of that person. Racing to the bathroom, she didn't notice the glowing eyes watching her from the French doors that led to her balcony.

* * *

The next morning Gabriela tried in vain to convince the sisters that she wasn't feeling well, but they would have nothing of it, so here she was, sitting in Spanish, taking turns between staring at the clock, willing it to move faster, and staring at the desk that Reese Miller used to occupy. The who school seemed to vibrate with the tension in the air. The Spanish teacher was lecturing the class on the importance of the Spanish culture, not that many people were listening though. Suddenly the bell rang, signaling the end of class and the beginning of lunch.

_"This is ridicules." _Raven commented. She and Gabriela had just walked into the cafeteria to get some lunch, and every single table was gossiping with a different rumor about the death of Reese Miller. "Come on, I see my friends that you didn't get the chance to meet yesterday." she said, leading them over to a table in the corner of the cafeteria. Gabriela had been attending San Francisco High for three days now, but she had yet to meet her friends, who just recently got back from a trip to Romania.

"Hey Tegan, Dysis, this is Gabriela Martinez, a cousin of the Halliwell's. Gabriela, this is Tegan Moore, and her cousin Dysis Narcissa." Raven introduced the two, first the strawberry-blonde with striking bright blue eyes, and then the brunette with emerald green.

"It's so nice to meet you, Gabriela." Tegan said to Gabriela, extending her hand towards her. "Don't mind Dysis, she rarely pays attention to anything but a book." she said, cocking her head toward her cousin, who had her nose in a book.

"Huh? What?" Dysis asked, looking up from her book.

Shaking her head, her cousin replied. "Nothing Dysis, go back to your own little world, it's safe there."

"Wow, if Raven hadn't told me that you guys were related, I would have never guessed. You are really different."

"Our parents say the exact same thing. But we are as close as sisters." Tegan said with a smile, while Raven nodded.

"It's true. Sometimes they do the twin thing and finish each other's sentences. It's rare, but when it happens, it's kinda creepy." Raven slightly shuddered, while the rest of the table laughed.

* * *

Walking into their history class, the four girls chose some seats near the back of the class. Suddenly, one of the guys from the front of the class came over to talk to Tegan.

"Supp, Tegan? How was Romania? Miss me?" the blonde stocky jock asked, grinning at her the entire time.

"Wow, and this is who?" Gabriela asked, looking at Raven and Dysis.

"This is John, the star quarterback on the football team. He has been asking Tegan out since the start of Sophomore year. And she has been saying no since Sophomore year." Dysis answered, not looking up from her book. Gabriela stared at her in shock for a couple of seconds.

"She spoke in an entire sentence!"

Tegan was looking at her nails when she felt a presence in front of her. _Please don't let it be John, please don't let it be John, please don't let it be John, please don't let it be-_

"-John. What do you want?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"I just want to know if you missed me while you where in Romania." John smiled at her. "So, did you?"

"Oh, yes. I missed having conversations with you that last about five seconds." Tegan said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Tuning out whatever else he had to say, she looked around the class room, surveying the students. Finally her, her eyes landed on a student in the far back of the class room. His jet black hair hung over his eyes, and you could barely see his ice blue eyes outlined with black eyeliner. Next to him, leaning on his desk, was a guitar case. Getting up from her seat, Tegan walked over to him and his friends.

"Hi! My name is Tegan Moore. What's yours?" she asked in a perky tone.

"Grrr." came a rumbling sound from deep in his throat.

Staring at him in shock, Tegan's mouth hung open. Looking up, she could see his friends shaking their heads.

"Now you've done it." one muttered under their breath.

"Did you just growl at me?" Tegan's voice came back to her after opening and closing her mouth several times. "That was kinda hot ."


	6. Some Cousinly Bonding

Okay, so here is the newest chapter for _A Cromwell's Tale_, I hope that you enjoy it, and thank you for sticking with it so far. This is a short chapter, but it shows the relationship as cousin's between Tegan and Dysis. I hope that you enjoy, and leave a review. Well, anyway, I'll stop ranting, and let's get on with the story! One more thing! I don't own Charmed or any of the characters that you recognize from the T.V. show, those belong to Constance M. Burge and the WB! The only things that I own are Gabriela, Karissa, Reese, Blaize, and other original characters. Raven is based off of my best friend, Tegan and Dysis are based off of two of my other best friends, and Xavier is based off of another friend.

Chapter Six:

__

Some cousinly bonding.

A couple of days later, Dysis was ready to collapse. The homework had started piling up now that school had officially started up again. The police were still looking into the murder of Reese Miller, but had come up with nothing yet. At least, nothing that she knew of.

Her cousin, Tegan, had seemed to become obsessed with the boy who sat in the far back of their history class. His jet black hair, and ice blue eyes unnerved the brunette a bit, but he seemed to be a nice guy. He was also the first guy not to drool over Tegan. In fact, he growled at her.

_Huh,_ the brunette thought to herself, _Well, I guess there's a first time for everything. Maybe he won't even be interested in her at all. _Truth be told, Dysis actually found the Emo kid quite attractive. His eyes were deep. He also seemed to be quite knowledgeable in History.

_"Do you think he doesn't like me because I'm too, well, too something?" _a voice shocked her out of her thoughts. Rolling her eyes, she turned to face her cousin, who was leaning against her bedroom door frame.

"No, Tegan. I'm sure he likes you. Maybe he's just shy. You know how guys get around you. All flustered and shy. But, if he doesn't like you, maybe it's cause you're a bit obsessive." she said, playing with a loose string on her bed comforter. When she turned back to look at the strawberry-blonde, she found her looking thoughtful.

"Hmm, maybe you're right."

"Tegan, I'm sorry, but it's the trut- What?" she asked, no quite believing that her cousin was agreeing with her.

"I said that maybe you're right. Maybe he's too shy to talk to me. I've been told that I can be a bit intimidating when I talk."

"Well, you are incredibly open and sometimes don't really think about what you say before you say it."

"Hmm," Tegan said, seeming to ponder something over. "I wonder how I could get him to open up."

"Oh!" Dysis exclaimed, causing her cousin to look up in surprise. "I know. You said he has a guitar, right?" At Tegan's nod, she continued. "Well, why don't you talk to him about it. Ask what kind of guitar it is, and what kind of music he's into. Get a conversation started on a topic that you both know."

Her eyes lighting up, Tegan ran over to her cousin's bed, quickly enveloping her in a hug. "Thank you, Dysis! You're the best. What would I do without you?"

"Be obsessive over this guy, and completely scare him off?" she guessed. "Ouch! What was that for?" she asked, rubbing the hand over the area that Tegan hit.

"That's for being a smart ass!"


End file.
